Formula Used:
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Attractive Force Potentials for Sun is referred to the gravitational force exerted by the Sun on an object and can be described by the gravitational potential. It represents the gravitational potential energy per unit mass at a given point in space due to the Sun's gravitational field.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: This formula calculates the gravitational potential of the Sun at a given distance, taking into account harmonic polynomial expansion terms that describe the gravitational field in more detail.
Details: Calculating attractive force potentials is crucial for understanding gravitational interactions in celestial mechanics, orbital dynamics, and space mission planning. It helps in predicting the motion of planets, satellites, and other celestial bodies under the influence of the Sun's gravity.
Tips: Enter all required values in appropriate units. Universal constant and harmonic polynomial terms are dimensionless. Mass should be in kilograms, distances in meters. All values must be positive numbers.
Q1: What is the significance of harmonic polynomial expansion terms?
A: Harmonic polynomial expansion terms describe the detailed structure of the gravitational field, accounting for non-spherical mass distributions and providing more accurate gravitational potential calculations.
Q2: How is this different from simple Newtonian gravity?
A: This formula includes additional terms (harmonic polynomial expansion) that provide a more detailed description of the gravitational field beyond the simple point-mass approximation of Newtonian gravity.
Q3: What are typical values for these parameters?
A: Mass of the Sun is approximately 1.989 × 10³⁰ kg, mean Earth radius is about 6,371,000 m, and Earth-Sun distance is approximately 149,597,870,700 m.
Q4: Can this calculator be used for other celestial bodies?
A: While the formula is specifically designed for the Sun, similar principles can be applied to other celestial bodies with appropriate adjustments to the parameters and harmonic terms.
Q5: What are the units of the result?
A: The result is in m²/s², which represents gravitational potential energy per unit mass (joules per kilogram).